Don’t fall behind in between sips of eggnog and trying to guess what Santa will bring you for Christmas this year. Companies can capitalize on the weeks leading up to the holidays to create the perfect holiday campaign that screams branding and engagement.

Be network specific

Tailor your messages to the social network you’re using. Send different messages on all your social networks to gear each toward what the network’s users value.

Pinterest? Think collage style product placement. Twitter? Keep it short and sweet, work in some holiday cheer with appropriate hashtags and try to use a photo – we all know the power of photos when it comes to social sharing.

Gear each message to what users would expect to see come up in their feed on that particular network.

Sure, it’s for a different holiday, but the message is on point: it promotes the brand and capitalizes on what users expect to see on the network – short, funny videos. Or this Starbucks Facebook post from last Christmas Eve when the company shared a fan’s Instagram photo on their page:

W5H

You can’t just write anything and send it at any time. There are a few basics to consider that should the determine when you launch campaigns and the language you use. These are the five w’s (who, what, when ,where, why) and how.

Know where your most loyal customers are. Does your company have a strong following in Australia? Keep in mind the time difference and make sure you send your Aussie customers some love before the Western hemisphere starts to celebrate.

Or, perhaps, South Koreans are obsessed with your product. Maybe then you’ll want to craft a special message in Korean and another one in English to personalize it to your target demographics.

Know what words your customers are likely to use when it comes to iconic holiday symbols, like our man up in the North Pole. Is he Santa? Father Christmas? Pere Noel?

Create a dialogue

When you pass on your best wishes to your followers, start a dialogue and ask them how they’re spending the holidays.

Target created #MyKindOfHoliday in the lead up to Christmas, asking shoppers to share what makes their holiday season so special. Then, the company ran a commercial with just some of the #MyKindOfHoliday suggestions.

It doesn’t have to be that complicated. A few days before Christmas, McDonalds asked customers how they were enjoying their holiday break.

Play Santa

Get in the giving spirit and play Santa. Offer your loyal followers a holiday treat – 10% off all purchases or free shipping is sure to brighten up anyone’s holiday.

Or, instead, give a gift to some deserving people in need by donating some company profits to a local charity. Consider asking your followers what causes they believe in, or what local charities really need help this year.

Make it foolproof

Once you know what you’re saying and where you’re sending the message, make its delivery foolproof.

Schedule your December, Christmas Eve and Christmas day tweets using Hootsuite – to ensure no one forgets to hit send on the day off after accidentally eating one too many sprinkle-topped cookies.

Use some holiday themed hashtags (or create your own like #MyKindOfHoliday) to make sure your message reaches a broader or completely new audience.

On Twitter, pin the holiday greeting to the top of your page for the day to ensure anyone visiting your profile sees the company took the time to craft the perfect message.